Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1887-01-15
"Freaksv For Museums.

TItukSN IUI
"Do we find much difficulty in
procuring new freaks7 Sometimes
yes and sometimes no. 1t is Just.
like any other commodity for which
there is a market-the supply at
times is scarce and at other times
more plentiful"
Thus spoke museum manager
in reply to the query ola Chicago
News reporter. "On the whole,
however," he continued, 1--WE do not
find it easy" We are often sorely
puzzled where to find something
new, but circumstances and acct.
dents invariably bring out supply
for the demand. There is the mat
ter Of cranks, for instance. Cele-
DRAFTED cranks are cropping up ev-
cry day. TO day one of these fell
lows may be unknown to any one
beyond his own family, tomorrow
he may take a notion to go down
the Niagara rapids, Jump off che
Brooklyn bridge, or attempt to
shoot the President, and we would
like to give him $500 a week to
come to our museum and exhibit
|himselfto the admiring eyes OF the
public, with which he has suddenly
become famous. In this way, you
See We are not dependant alone up.
on the eccentricities of nature for
our exhibits"
"Does this species Of curiosity
bring high salary as a ruler"
"Well, l should smile. Graham,
Il rftfs: ri Dfiex1cU;l cara "a:
than that, but wouldn't exhibit"
aDo you find that these fellows
; who have become or made them.
selves celebrities take better With
the public than the freaks OF ma
tureg" 49,,
eyes, they are much better than
ordinary freaks, OF which samples
} are frequently occurring ami being
exhibited, but we always consider
y genuine new freak worth more
} money to us than any other kind OF
exhibit.
I have discovered allttly colored
child, about three years old, down
e South who has never even peen
: taught the alphabet, [ do believe
a she hardly knows one letter from
l. another, and yet put a book on any
e technical matter in her hand ano
: she will read it without a stammer
Nobody can account for it. l woulc
Give that little girl most anything
a TO come here, but you'd scarcely
'e believe it, so sensitive are the mum
10 Bile parents and friends Of that liz
a tie colored girl that nothing can III
a luce them to let her be put OF
LIE exhibition.
If "1his is a rare exception, howey
~ cr. Which proves the general rule c
h, ueople's anxiety to make none
1 I ont of their deformities or naturs
,e necnliarities. We find the worl
I'd growing more and more democrat
-el in this respect every day. Nova
- DAYS the responsibility or socl
i'd standing of people won't prevel
ar. them. as it did when this bushes
ar. first became general, to exhlp
ed their children OF relatives i'll a din
". museum, provided they are W.
'rn paid for it,
a allow do you keep yourself poS;
Ter ed on these new fieakss ana
what means do you canvass l
NO. aud procure themY"
ne. "Oh, the newspapers do all til
rn' for us. They fnd their way IN
u % more places nowadays than ey
ms IS travelling agents. We simply a
t tiu. yertise for applications, and
s s find that the demand always Great
lis, a supply. We advertise more {
- tensively than any other musel
srn managers in America. we Ia
III always a supply Of foreign news
hev pers and keep our card I'D them
ssi. so. We find, however, inote .,'
90 ble with the foreign freaks, th
with all the others put together
avs: You CAN'T get one OF them TO les
Drld France or Russia, for instance,
me. less you offer them fabulous SUI
sue. pay their travelling expenses 81 !
Il of vide them with good hotels. ana
We some cases guarantee 10 SEM III
the back again.
here Eve lind the greatest dificr
d to in removing the generally prev
c. ing impression among the pu
and that exhibits i'll museums are m
our " frauds made up to deceive
e in eve. But they won't believe 80
=" times. For Instance in the cas-
Feejee Jim. Half the pubic
lieve be was some sort Oh mul
faxed up like one ofthese celeo
e.. ed islanders, aud that the us
loui Given OF him was false, lnsIea'
over a + being true, as it is. This ieelln
! ana increJulity is due to great eAl